"I have used this book. It's a good introduction but uses a rather non-nix sysAPI"* I think the only reason this would be a down-side would be if you were tryi

"I have used this book. It's a good introduction but uses a rather non-nix sysAPI"* I think the only reason this would be a down-side would be if you were trying to implement a unix-like operating system (not that there's anything wrong with that). It would do up-and-coming designers good to avoid Unix only because it's becoming sort of a "standard" way of architecting an OS and studying only unix-like systems can have an effect on creativity, innovation, etc. I love BeOS/Haiku but even it is a bit too "unixy" for my taste. I definitely agree with the previous post that going back to CS texts is the way to go, and it would be instructive to look at the operating systems once used by mainframes in the past as this is where allot of the "contemporary" technology we use today came from. Ultimately the goals you have for the system you are designing should drive your architecture but I think a rich diet of various different operating systems is a good way to prepare for the journey.